"How to Transform a Hobby into a Business" with CEO Tamara Starks on Women Entrepreneurs Radio™

Despite facing several personal obstacles, Tamara Starks has always had a determination to continue and complete what she started. Her passion and dedication for moving forward has allowed her to succeed professionally.

As a child, Tamara enjoyed moderate living conditions while living with her maternal grandmother in Fort Worth, TX. She was continuously inspired by teachers, church members, friends and family, to work hard and create opportunities for others to succeed.

After completing high school, in just three years in 1999, Tamara enrolled at the University of Texas Arlington, UTA, with a scholarship to study Communication Technology. Though she was eager to learn more about computers and start a career in the technology field, fate had other plans.

In 2005, Tamara opened Treasure Chest by Tamara, a boutique style company that specializes in celebrity trend style accessories, handbags and jewelry pieces, as a full-time college student and as a full-time employee with the Fort Worth Independent School District as a lead AVID tutor and trainer. There she developed her computer literacy and also taught and mentored high school students who were underprivileged.

Once Tamara completed her degree, she began working in her career field in several entry level positions for Compuware and Verizon. Unhappy that she was performing mundane tasks and still working a full-service boutique, Tamara realized that something had to give. In 2008, she walked away from corporate America to pursue being an entrepreneur full-time. And she hasn't looked back.

She was able to use her educational background in technology to consult other small businesses and entrepreneurs on effective ways to establish a strong web presence for business growth. Just a year later, Tamara invested in the Instant Tax Service franchise and started a full service tax services and consulting company in the Fort Worth/Arlington area. She endured many successes from being a franchise owner including earning $900,000 in revenue in two years. Eventually the demands of a successful boutique coupled with two additional businesses and consulting for several businesses caused Tamara to become stretched too thin. She dissolved PTizics Fashion, a women clothing company she started in 2007 while working fulltime in corporate America in 2009 and ended her franchise agreement with Instant Tax Service in 2010. She started 1st Choice Tax service in 2010, a seasonally operated tax services company and netted more than $600,000 in revenue for 2010.

Through Tamara's many business endeavors, she has continuously gained traction in the business community as being a maverick for entrepreneurial endeavors. Start-up businesses and entrepreneurial hopefuls follow Tamara on her social media sites to learn new and innovative business solutions. Tamara has become a referral and development source and she has helped several businesses become more proficient in connecting with other businesses. These individuals trust her insight, professionalism and her ability to develop businesses. Her business development consulting has allowed her to assist several businesses including, Lavish Models, Just Pearlz, Beauty for Ashes Ministry, Ambassador for Christ, Denim-Junky, Studio 6 salon, M&E Tax Service and 1st Choice Tax, just to name a few.

Multiple business opportunities would not stay too far from Tamara's business development mindset and in 2010 she became the co-owner of 2nd Choice Resale Market, a resale and indoor flea market that sells in gently used and some new consumer items for home, entertainment and personal needs. With the help of her business partner, Tamara has successfully kept the company out of the red with sales of more than $300,000 in its first year of operations. Tamara is continuously looking for new business opportunities to grow and expand her portfolio.